Wednesday, February 27, 2013

A civilian panel has upheld the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department’s firing of a formerly high-ranking police captain accused of failing to report that an assault victim came to his home seeking help.

Members of the Charlotte Civil Service Board reached their decision after deliberating for four hours Wednesday. That followed nearly three days of testimony about former Capt. Chuck Adkins.

After the board’s decision, police attorney Mark Newbold said the department was pleased.

“The message sent is that officers are held to a standard if they’re in a situation where somebody’s life may be in jeopardy.”

Adkins and his attorney declined to comment, and left the hearing room shortly after the decision was announced.

The department has said Adkins broke CMPD policy by failing to immediately alert law enforcement about his Sept. 19 conversation with a woman who came to his home while he was in his garage. His marked CMPD cruiser was parked outside.

She had been kidnapped, handcuffed to a toilet and beaten. The policy dictates that officers report domestic violence when there are signs of physical injury.

The woman, who was bruised and had caked blood on her face, said her boyfriend had hit her.

Adkins listened to her story, then let her use his cell phone to contact a friend for a ride. He told her she should report the crime to authorities, but he didn’t contact police that night or the next day.

Two days later, Adkins saw the woman’s picture and a story about her disappearance in the newspaper. He phoned missing persons detectives, who used the number in his cell phone to get in contact with the woman.

In testimony, officers have said the woman was a prostitute and kidnapping victim. The case is now part of a federal investigation. Officers testified the Department of Homeland Security has interviewed the woman.

Adkins has contended that he was off-duty when the woman walked up, and was groggy from a sleeping pill and a glass of wine. In testimony on Tuesday, Adkins said: “I’m telling you I couldn’t have acted in the capacity of a police officer that evening.”

In his 21 years with the department, Adkins has been posted to several high-profile jobs: head of Internal affairs, captain over the Central Division and overseeing the communications division.

But he was linked to two incidents that embarrassed CMPD last year – the situation with the assault victim, and a case in which he was accused of placing dog feces in a neighbor’s mailbox.

Marc Gustafson, Adkins’ attorney, said he is not without fault in the case, but that the facts “don’t warrant the termination of a 21-year-veteran of the police department.”

Even the victim in this case spoke highly of Adkins’ actions, Gustafson said.

“Captain Adkins gave (the victim) what she needed that night,” he said. “She didn’t need to be interrogated. She just needed somebody to listen. That certainly doesn’t absolve Captain Adkins of anything, but it’s something we should take into consideration.”

But Bob McDonnell, an attorney for CMPD, said that Adkins, as a senior officer with two decades of experience, was in a key position to get the woman more help.

“I find it hard to believe that you think the best thing to do in that situation is place that young woman in that car with someone she says was a friend,” McDonnell said. “It should be obvious to anyone: call 911.”

McDonnell said Adkins could have conveyed crucial information about the victim to police. She told him that she was a dancer, that she’d been handcuffed and beaten in a home in Adkins’ neighborhood.

“His explanation was, ‘I fulfilled my duty by letting her use my phone and putting her in a car with someone I didn’t know.’ ”

McDonnell said Adkins’ behavior was unbecoming an officer, and an embarrassment to the department, especially given his rank and extensive training.

“It’s embarrassing that a captain who’s been to the FBI school, doesn’t think he has a duty to call 911.”

Adkins can appeal his firing in Superior Court, but has not indicated if he will do so.

Yeah, if Rodney does not like you or if he thinks you are smarter than him he will find a way to get rid of you. By the way does anyone know if Officer Braithwait (the one who stuck a gun in the face of his exwife's face) is still there collecting a paycheck.

22 years on the force and IA decides that they think you should be cited for termination. Unreal. I guess they are so scared of Rodney they feel that they must have people fired so they can keep their jobs.

Deputy Chief Graue should not be pointing the finger at anyone. It is so funny how she witnesses a RAC Sergeant grabbing the rear end of another Sergeant and does nothing about it. The Sergeant has to report the incident to human resources as unwanted touching before anything gets done. Oh, by the way, Graue gets promoted to deputy chief right after the incident. Go figure.

FOP needs to step up. If they would launch an all out legal assault on Rodney and CMPD it would stop a lot of this. But they are too scared. Officers need to also realize that taking your case to the civil service board is pot luck. Some heavy law suits need to be dropped on cmpd. I am sure Adkins could come up with half a dozen if not more really good reasons to sue the department. If FOP had a backbone they would help with these law suits and put Rodney and his DC's in their place.

Lol,...once again the whiners flock to the boards to complain incessantly. The hand wringers and bed wetters talk of future retribution to come. Get real... The times they are a changing. Shut up and get back to work for gods sake. If you spent as much time working as whining, o' what a great place this would be!!

I suspect there were many back door meetings and secret phone calls made between CSB and top administration of CMPD for them to have fired the officer. There is absolutley no way you would fire an officer for not taking a report.How many times have patrol officers, and that includes those of you now having been promoted,not taken a report on a call when you should have? This is a revenge firing if I ever saw one. Hello out there!! Does anybody care anymore about the sanctity of this place anymore. CMPD used to be number 1 in the nation. I wonder where it is now.Sleep well people!!

This is not the only case that it seems that there were back door converstaions with the Civil Board. Another case with the same Civil Board had the same result. The board seems to be tainted in my opinion too. The officers that I know that this has happened to several honest officers. They took advantage of their honesty and cited them. It seems that the department doesn't want honest people working for them they want puppets.

I suspect an impending lawsuit settlement against CMPD is also in the works. By terminating the employee in question, the city greatly reduces their liability in civil court proceedings with regards to any cash settlement. I do not know the legal terms used, but it deals with the "deep pockets" syndrome and counter-measures employed by attorneys for the gain or reduction of said liability...lawyers suing the entity that has the most money potential and the way city officials must respond to limit that liability. Most directives and policies regarding officer conduct written by CMPD were the results of lawsuits in Charlotte and lawsuits from around the country. Taser use and vehicle chases are just two examples I can recall that were dictated by events (2005-2010) during my last five years there.

- NC state law allows a police officer to own a private security company. You have to keep the two separate. vicki foster is not in violation of the law. Ron Jordan paved that road years ago.- Chuck Adkins is an arrogant asshole who got what he deserved. All he had to do was call 911 or called an officer directly, problem solved.- Eddie Levins deserved his promotion. He has worked a variety of jobs in the department and is a street cop.- the broken record "indictments are coming down" is bullshit. Chief Monroe picks his people the way he wants. You just don't like who he picks.- Katrina Graue is an inteligent person who makes decision with her heart. - Cam Selvey is above board. - The current airport management is corrupt. That is why CMPD took over the airport police. It is better.- The CMPD is still the best police department in the country. - I am not Rob.

If you want to say Adkins is an a-hole well that's ok, but Foster is a lying cunt.

You know her VIP security with Melvin Keys and the tie in with the Waka Focka Flame shooting is not lawful. You know she has continued to claim she has nothing to do with the business, so why would she if she thought it was legal?

Cedar nailed her on the video, as a tax cheat, running a realestate business out of her CMPD Office, her conflict of interest regarding VIP and the list goes on and on.

If Graue makes decisions with her "heart", then her heart is as black as night. Because her "decisions" are vindictive and arrogant. And she seems to take pleasure in destroying lives. And she could not be more two faced.

Selvey is above board???? LOL....now everyone knows that is a joke.

The only real thing Adkins did was cross the wrong people. His career was doomed when he did not agree with their "methods".

You are right, Monroe picks who HE wants, with total disregard for qualifications, tenure, experience, etc.....just who HE WANTS. Based on "diversity" and their ability to "look the other way" and be total ass kissers.

CMPD has become a joke, corrupt and loaded with horrible non leadership.

The shame is, even after Rodney leaves, the unqualified people he has put in positions of leadership will continue to bring the department down.

And it is accomplices like you that are just as guilty as Monroe and his cadre. Take your koolade and sell it on another street corner.

To 3:01....you are for the most part correct. This broken record of "impending indictments" has gotten very lame. Monroe has came in here and restructured CMPD very much like the large departments up north. That has not been very popular as can be seen from the endless banter on this comment board. One of the mandates that was stated very openly from the very beginning was the diversification of management which he has accomplished. Again not popular and he has been crucified over and over again in these boards. The city manager and council has given him this mandate and the chief has this power to wield. The problem is that Chiefs in the past did not use it for the most part but it was always there. Time to move on folks,...it is a 'fact de accompli' as they say. You are wasting Too Much Time or as I have seen it said here : stop whining and get back to work ! From: not Rob either.... (people have a hard time when their views are not ascendant!!)

I don't think anyone has a problem with the "diversification of management" as you so euphemistically put it.The problem would be promoting with little thought to qualifications or experience, and only with thought to race or for the sake of diversity. That is wrong....on so many levels.And Monroe has "wielded" his racal card power with impunity and no oversight or thought to what his decisions based solely on race will do to CMPD.

And PLEASE, as someone said, stop using that lameass quote of quit whining and get back to work, why don't you and your "hardworking" friends get a job.....one that isn't based on cowtowing and ass kissing.

Obviously you have not yet received word of the latest promotions. Of the 10 promotions being made to Captain, Major, and D/C only 1 is a B/F. The rest are W/M's. So where do you get that the chief is promoting based solely on race and diversity? That argument is pretty lame......

To 12:59.... Again: people have a hard time when their views are not ascendant.

Race has played a factor in CMPD for years. In the 60s and 70s, blacks and other minorities were no where to be seen. Times change. Management has always ebbed and flowed throughout the years. There were as many idiots in charge in the 70s, 80s and 90s as there are now. I have been here since the 80s. There were are many jack-wads in charge then as now. Today they just happen to be of a different race. Get over it and move on... It might help your blood pressure.

Anon1:47These are just the latest promotions.....seems Monroe has gotten the word that people are looking into his promotions process.

And he is going to have to reach way down on the Captains list to reach an African American that is remotely qualified. Same goes for Lts.He has probably run out of African Americans to promote to the Major level....without it being totally blatant.

I would love to see a chart of all promotions and lateral moves since Rodney arrived. That will never happen.

And your views are only "ascendent" to your little circle jerk of lackeys.

There have been "circles" within the dept. for as long as I can remember. There are just a lot of people who were in the circle before and now they are not. Get over it. When Monroe leaves maybe they can weasel their way back inside with a new chief.....

I am tired of the "something big coming" theory regarding Rodney and his followers. Frankly, what's done is done. If anyone had any evidence of wrongdoing and was willing to stick their neck out it would have already happened. The fact that the "something big coming" theory is still circulating is tiring. It was going to happen just prior to DNC and didn't. It was going to happen when Pless was reassigned and didn't. It was going to happen during Atkins CSB and didn't. The media doesn't care what's going on within CMPD as long as public perception keeps the citizens happy. I don't like the situation that CMPD is in any better than the next person, but given the facts until someone steps up, we're all in the same boat, folks. To those few officers left who go to work, take care of their co-workers and go home knowing they're doing the best with the crappy hand we have all been dealt, kudos. To the "employees" who are willing to stab a real officer in the back to get ahead, remember the longest fight is the one you have to fight alone. Like it or not, he and his band of merry misfits are in charge until something changes. As far as "something big coming" I won't hold my breath...

We are always getting online surveys to complete at work for this or that. I would like to see an online survey within CMPD that rates officers morale and how we really feel plus I would like to see the true results! Cedar, why don't you have a survey since most of your viewers here in Charlotte are employed by CMPD. I would be curious of the results

Those surveys are just a waste of time in sending them out to see what the troops think of CMPD. Those who are responsible for reviewing the surveys just throw them out or even manipulate what they receive.

Blah..Blah...Blah. Blah...Blah...Blah.... Conspiracy theories. Men in dark suits. Black helicopters. Aliens transmitting radio waves. Phones tapped. Listening devices. Whatever....... I think there is a TV series based on all of this.

I think Rodney is doing a commendable job with the CMPD. With him at the helm, a new batch of fine officers recently hit the streets. One of which, Officer Gump, is really making an impact in the Central Division. Under the tutelage of DWI enforcement guru Officer Kodiak, Gump is really taking a bite out of crime. Everyone told Rodney that hiring a mouth breather like Gump would be a PR nightmare, but Gump has proven himself time and time again. Kudos Rodney.

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Cedar Posts and Barbed Wire Fences

He had a different way of looking at the land,the trouble at handor any circumstancethat might just come along.

And while much in the world has changedthe pull of the mountainsand the rangefor him has always been strong.

His back to the windhe placed the last postand at lastthe day's work was done.

As the seasons changed,the work got harderbut he still rosewith the sun.

The posts became heavy,bails of wire he’d need some helpbut he just pushedhimself more.

His back now achedand his legs tired quicklyeven his bedmade him sore.

Over the yearshe’s always done his bestright up to the present tense,and he measured his life in cedar postsand miles of barbed wire fence.